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The Pentagon is making plans for President Kevin McCarthy to visit Taiwan ‘sometime in the spring’: it comes after he supported Pelosi’s trip last year despite China increasing military exercises.
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The Pentagon is preparing for US President Kevin McCarthy to visit Taiwan later this year.
punch news reported the development on Monday, citing an official directly involved in the talks.
Biden administration officials anticipate McCarthy will visit Taiwan sometime in the spring, according to the report.
Following McCarthy’s election as Speaker of the House earlier this month, Republicans are poised to make opposing China’s force a major pillar of their new House majority.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is scheduled to visit Taiwan later this year. Pictured: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy at the US Capitol in Washington, USA, January 12, 2023
McCarthy previously said in the run-up to last year’s midterm elections that he would visit Taiwan if he became president.
He had also supported his predecessor Nancy Pelosi’s historic trip to the country when she visited last year. Her trip heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives flew to Taipei on a US Air Force plane in August 2022 along with five other members of Congress.
Pelosi made headlines on her trip when she accused China of “obstructing” Taiwan’s participation in international affairs and warned that the United States’ commitment to preserving democracy “remains unwavering.”
Nancy Pelosi flew to Taiwan last year and met with the country’s President Tsai Ing-wen, saying the United States “will not abandon its commitment” to the island.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, right, greet each other during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan.
During the past few years’ trip, Nancy Pelosi accused China of “obstructing” Taiwan’s participation in international affairs and warned that the US commitment to preserving democracy “remains unwavering.”